Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God’s good news.. Romans 1:1

This word in any culture in the world has a negative connotation, but here it is describing the relationship between Christ and Paul the Apostle. Paul himself wrote this book these are his words. We can only conclude that he is of his own free will aligning himself with Christ with a position and title of the slave. Let that sink in a moment.

It is allegorical in intent, or is it exactly how Paul wanted to be identified? I think he intended it to be actual. I think he did not want it to be figurative but in every sense a reality. If you study the words and purpose of Jesus, you will find that he only has one intent. It is for the salvation of humanity. All of his actions were for the benefit of humanity. He never proposed violence. He never proposed evil. None of His actions could be construed as being harmful to His followers. Not a one of us has anything to fear from Jesus. He never intended harm for anyone that would follow Him. In fact, it is the exact opposite. His intent is for our salvation. If you understand the intent and purpose of Christ, you can begin to see how Paul desires to be a slave of Christ.

Paul desires to identify himself as a slave not out of fear but because there is only an upside to this relationship. Paul understands the provision of Christ. Not just in this life but in the life which is to come. He recognizes the sovereignty of Jesus. He has experienced the depth of love Christ has for Him. The word slave is the best word to use to describe a relationship in which you willfully and intentionally submit your will to God.

In Paul’s times, it was possible to sell your self into slavery with the possibility of buying your way out of slavery. Not that it was pleasurable by any means, but still you had the choice to sell your self and then pay your way out of slavery. This is not the arrangement that Paul intends when he claims slavery as his position. He intends to recognize the sovereignty and benevolence of God. He understood that God had the very best for him in mind when God sent His son to die for him. He understood and appreciated the best place to be was within the protected resource fill arms of God.

He knew that living as a slave to Christ meant that he would have the best life.

He knew that being a slave to Christ was not a confining judgment it is a liberating, exciting purposeful loving fulling life of joy.

33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. 2 In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Tragedies will come, and no one is exempt. Even the most righteous among us will face trials in life. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because no one is exempt from the sin in the world. We live in a sin-infested existence, and because we do at times, the result of that sin will overcome us.

We may pray and fast and study and be righteous but you will still face situations in your life that will be overwhelming. What we can do is pray, fast, study, and “seek after the kingdom of God” and it will prepare us to deal with the overwhelming situations we will face. What we as Christians know is that Jesus overcame the trials of His life and He will be with us to help us in ours. Let us not become despondent or defeated in our trials, but let’s receive the peace of God in these situations by seeking Him. Knowing that regardless of the outcome we will have the victory, He has intended for us.

We will face tribulations in our lives. How we handle them determines the outcome. If we work with God, we will go through them successfully and peaceably. If not the tribulation will go through us and we will be the remains after it has finished with us. The more intense the trials the fewer the remains. You can face a tribulation with God and be whole, or you can meet it alone and become pieces of your former self.

Jesus said, “I have overcome the world.” It means that we can overcome the tribulations of life if we unite ourselves with Him. It means that the tribulations regardless of how horrible they are not sufficient to destroy you if you are in Him. It means we can come out the other side of the tribulation, not unchanged but undefeated. Even if you lose everything, you still have the assurance of His victory in your life.

Jesus said, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Our celebration is in the knowledge and the reality that as long as we are in Him, we will share in His ultimate victory.

Something to think about

The Other Side of the Coin Part Two

1“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you bein the country. Deuteronomy 28:1-14

The promises in Deuteronomy verses 28:1-14 are some of the most inspiring, exciting, motivating of the entire Bible. But as with many of God’s promises, there are conditions. First is “observe carefully all His commandments”, second is “obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Moses is speaking to the offspring of the liberated people of Israel. They are about to enter the promised land. He is giving them instructions on how to be blessed. Some of the pertinent facts to know is that there are 613 commands in Judaism. I am not a scholar of Jewish law so I cannot attest about when these laws were given. I know that by this point they had been given the ten commandments. But to be blessed we understand the requirement is they obey the all the commandments. Secondly to be blessed you needed to “obey the voice of the Lord your God.” This second presupposes God will speak.

How does that apply to us today? We Christians of all denominations accept the bible to be the inspired word of God. Which means even though God allowed man to write it. At its essence and core, it is God who through His holy spirit directed and insured His will be conveyed.

In John 1:1 John states everything that was created was created by Jesus. He literally puts Jesus at the beginning of creation and recognizes Him as being the cause of creation.

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?John 14:9 (NKJV) Jesus is saying if you see me you see God the father. Claiming He is one with God.

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.Matthew 1:20 The Angel of God is telling Joseph, His wife is carrying the son of God.

These scriptures and many more point to the deity of Jesus. This is important because if we accept that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are one. Then we understand that Jesus is the one who inspired the writer of Deuteronomy.

The Pharisees and Sadducees, asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-39 Jesus answered the question with an old testament law.

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 2 with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

We understand the one answering the question is the one that wrote the law. And He answers it with the same law He had written thousands of years before. With this concise answer, He brings an end to legalism by stating “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” The one that wrote the law is now telling them how to fulfill the law.

The promises of Deuteronomy are available to you. Because Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit in unison, as the Trinity have said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” He is saying if you do these two things you will not only fulfill the letter of the law but you will also fulfill the heart of it as well. What he is saying is there is no sin in love. If we love as God loves we will not sin.

The promises of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 are available to anyone who will “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

The Other Side of the Coin Part Two

1“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you bein the country. Deuteronomy 28:1-14

The promises in Deuteronomy verses 28:1-14 are some of the most inspiring, exciting, motivating of the entire Bible. But as with many of God’s promises, there are conditions. First is “observe carefully all His commandments”, second is “obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Moses is speaking to the offspring of the liberated people of Israel. They are about to enter the promised land. He is giving them instructions on how to be blessed. Some of the pertinent facts to know is that there are 613 commands in Judaism. I am not a scholar of Jewish law so I cannot attest about when these laws were given. I know that by this point they had been given the ten commandments. But to be blessed we understand the requirement is they obey the all the commandments. Secondly to be blessed you needed to “obey the voice of the Lord your God.” This second presupposes God will speak.

How does that apply to us today? We Christians of all denominations accept the bible to be the inspired word of God. Which means even though God allowed man to write it. At its essence and core, it is God who through His holy spirit directed and insured His will be conveyed.

In John 1:1 John states everything that was created was created by Jesus. He literally puts Jesus at the beginning of creation and recognizes Him as being the cause of creation.

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?John 14:9 (NKJV) Jesus is saying if you see me you see God the father. Claiming He is one with God.

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.Matthew 1:20 The Angel of God is telling Joseph, His wife is carrying the son of God.

These scriptures and many more point to the deity of Jesus. This is important because if we accept that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are one. Then we understand that Jesus is the one who inspired the writer of Deuteronomy.

The Pharisees and Sadducees, asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-39 Jesus answered the question with an old testament law.

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 2 with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

We understand the one answering the question is the one that wrote the law. And He answers it with the same law He had written thousands of years before. With this concise answer, He brings an end to legalism by stating “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” The one that wrote the law is now telling them how to fulfill the law.

The promises of Deuteronomy are available to you. Because Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit in unison, as the Trinity have said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” He is saying if you do these two things you will not only fulfill the letter of the law but you will also fulfill the heart of it as well. What he is saying is there is no sin in love. If we love as God loves we will not sin.

The promises of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 are available to anyone who will “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Something to think about.

Daily, it says daily, the Lord will bear us up. We often wonder where are you, God? Is the reason we can’t find Him because we ignore Him? Is it because we don’t acknowledge His presence on a daily basis and as a result can’t recognize Him? Have we turned God into something lost in the white noise? Have we alienated him so much that he has become a lost detail in a forest of details? Has His voice become so small you need an amplifier to hear it?

God is there for you every day, just as it says. It is we who have moved away or allowed the cares of the world to overrun the voice and presence of God?

Christians, we’ve lost the knowledge and experience of the presence of God. We have allowed ourselves to create a divide between our living God and us. We know of God we know about God we spend loads of money doing what we believe God wants. But do we experience a living God? If God is alive, He must have expression. He must have a concrete expression on life. Every living thing regardless of size or purpose leaves evidence of its existence.

The proof of God is us. It is everything around us. We have attributed everything God has done to happenstance. We have tried to separate the evidence of the divine from the divine. We have taken his evidence and reassigned it to the absurd. However, we reinterpret his evidence we can’t remove him from it. Because without him the evidence cannot exist. We are inextricably bound by his evidence. We cannot logically much less spiritually remove him from his expression.

God is alive because everything living is sustained by Him. Not figuratively but actually. If we could remove God from our lives, all life would cease. Because God is the source of life. Without Him, life would not exist. We are alive because He exists. If He had not created us, he would still exist. Without his daily substance like manna from heaven, we would not survive. He literally bears us up every day.

This is the perfect picture of contentment. Being in the presence of God. No fear, no want, perfectly secure fully provided for, in the presence of all mighty God. To be in His presence would make us whole.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew 7:15

I used to think this verse referred to people outside the body of Christ. I’ve learned that the new testament was written for the Christians. Its warnings and directives are not intended for the world at large. The world as a whole welcomes even applauds those who bring false doctrine. This verse is intended for us who believe. It is for us to expose those within our ranks who are espousing false, contradictory beliefs to the rest of the body. It is for us to hold our leader’s teachers accountable to the word of God. I am responsible for challenging those who are bending even accepting the false doctrine. Leaders and teachers who are bowing to the pressures of societies need to be absolved of guilt. We, Christians are responsible for the health of the body of Christ. We need to get closer to the word of God and separate ourselves from the deceptions of the devil. We are foolish to expect our society to reject false doctrine based on its moral compass. Without Christ, no moral compass exists.

“Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”Joshua 21:45 Israel had been slaves in Egypt, They were persecuted by their neighbors. They had been through many trials and tribulations. After all, they had suffered Joshua says “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken.” We are facing trials and tribulations from many sides but I know that we will declare. “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken.” Regardless of the terrible events that happen in our lives, we can say God is a good God. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us in the midst of the storms of life. If we do not faint If we do not give up we will be able to say with Joshua. “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken.”

1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1

The word of the Lord,” sometimes we miss the most important, for the immediate or most comforting. The God of creation makes a special connection with Abram. He invades time just to assure Abram. A pivotal time in human history and we pass over it as if it were commonplace. God made time when He spoke to Abram, He did not send a messenger or prophet He talked to him Himself. When was the last time God stop time to speak with you and bless you and through you bless the rest of humanity?

God was blessing, reassuring and encouraging Abram. He also blessed and reassured every one of His descendants to this day. Not only to His natural descendants but also those who are grafted in an adopted through Jesus Christ our Lord. That promise, “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” did not end with Abram it is for everyone that calls on the name of the Lord. This promise is for us that are of the family of God.

17 Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

Our prize, the only significant one that matters. Is when we live with Jesus in eternity.

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 1 Samuel 15-3

God is good He is the provider of all our needs. His love is never-ending. He is long-suffering and patient, kind, forgiving and tolerant. He has given us more than we can hope or think. He has provided for our salvation and eternal life. He made way for us when there was no way. He is gracious beyond measure, and His glory fills our lives. He gives us purpose and fulfillment. He completes our lives. He is good to us. He is perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing. He fulfills and exceeds our expectations. He is better than I can describe.

He is also the one who commanded Israel to utterly destroy the Amalekites’. Look at the verse again God commands Israel to kill everything. We want to quote and hide behind the goodness of God. It is almost like we want to present a one-dimensional God. A God who is only a benevolent king. You might say this command about the Amalekites’ is an aberration. This command is not consistent with the character of God. That is not true. Remember the flood. Remember the 3000 dead Israelite’s on their way to the promise land. Remember the generation of Israel that died in the desert. Remember the judgments that were carried out by the enemies of Israel upon Israel. God throughout history has judged people, nations. He has continually judged Israel.

God is a complete God; He is full of compassion, love, and patience. But He is also a God of judgment, wrath, and fury. What I am saying is yes God is good, but He is also going to pass judgment on humanity. His judgment will be both just and fair. Which means some of us will celebrate with complete joy: while some of us will suffer unimaginable pain. Knowing Gods impending judgment is important to Christians. Because we need to be aware of the consequences of sin in the lives of those we love. Those consequences are not just for today they are also still to come. By preaching a one-dimensional God, we are hiding the truth of God’s judgment.

Is it just to share only the grace of God and not mention the wrath of God? For me, I prefer to know about every facet of God, not just those things that are music to my ears.